By GEORGE MAHL

The prep volleyball season is set to begin soon and the following is the second installment of a three-part snapshot of local teams:

East St. John High School

RESERVE – A sign of trouble is when a team has only two returning players on the roster. Even more disturbing would be the fact the team lost its best player.

That is exactly what the East St. John High School volleyball team is looking at for the up-coming season.

“We graduated five from last year and I’ve only got two returning for this season. It might be tough early,” said coach Sandi Stein.

The Lady Wildcats, who are coming off a 2-21 season, will be without floor leader Danielle Washington. The four-year starter graduated in May and received a scholarship to Alcorn State University.

“There is no doubt that she will be missed. She was a big leader for us,” said Stein.

The veteran coach is optimistic about the outlook for her squad this year.

“I think we’re in store for a lot of good things. I’ve got a young group with no all-stars that needs and wants to come together,” Stein said.

Even though the Lay Wildcats posted a dismal record last year, Stein thinks other teams should not take her team lightly. There were several games the former Georgia State University coach said were close and competitive.

“I very much believe that our record is not as bad as is indicated. We played hard in every match each time out. I just think we ran into some teams with more experience,” Stein said. “We were the best 2-21 team in the district.”

This year, ESJHS will likely have to rely on the play of Artrena Radcliffe and Vivian Aubert.

“I think those two players are going to be the focal point of the team this season. But I also think that we’ve got kids that want to work as hard as they do,” Stein explained.

Because of its youth, the squad may find itself overmatched against some teams that have more experience. Another standout player fans will want to watch out for is Ashley Scioneaux.

“She’s a perfectionist, a brainiac, and anything else you can think of,” Stein said.

Only in her second year, Scioneaux is playing at the varsity level and will likely evolve into a terrific player as her career continues. Two biggest concerns heading into the season, according to Stein, are pressure and self-discipline.

“The girls are constantly handling pressure. Pressure from school, coaches, even themselves. If they can handle all of that and have self-discipline, then they’ll be all right,” Stein said.

Reserve Christian School

When a team has its returning starters intact, along with a good nucleus of players, it is likely to have a successful season.

Unfortunately, for the Reserve Christian School volleyball team, this was not the case last season.

“To be honest I really don’t know what happened,” said former coach Mike Marix. “I guess things really never went our way. We just didn’t get the breaks.”

However, a new season is about to begin and the Lady Eagles have a new coach. Tim Byrd, who is also the basketball coach, will lead the up-and-coming squad onto the court this season.

“This is a totally new experience for me. I’m looking forward to it very much,” said the first-year coach.

Top players for this years squad include Dunia Medina and Marisa Millet. As a first-year coach, Byrd will likely have to take it one game at a time in order to develop a good chemistry.

“I’m not sure what I have right now. I’m just trying to get girls to overachieve, playing above and beyond expectations,” Byrd said.

The early part of the season may be a difficult one for the Lady Eagles. With early season games against St. James High School and St. Charles Catholic School, Reserve Christian will be tested right off the bat.

However, Byrd does not necessarily think those will be the key games.

“I’d like to see how we do against St. Thomas Aquinas and Northlake Christian. I really think the first five games will be a good measuring stick,” he said.

As far as the rest of the district goes, Louise Mcghee and Faith Christian are the two clubs that will likely battle for the top spot. As far as the season outlook for RCS, Byrd is not all that worried about his team’s record.

“We just won’t worry about what happens. If we can be the best we can be, then I think we’ll be OK,” Byrd said.